The Best Birthday Ever
by cheersweetie
Summary: Jaina gets a special gift from her friend Zekk on her fourteenth birthday. JZ one-shot


**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or these characters.**

**This is just a little one-shot story that I felt like writing while I was between chapters on my other story. I have to admit, I'm not completely happy with it, but I hope everyone enjoys it still. Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome!**

**The Best Birthday Ever**

Jaina Solo had never been the kind of girl who spent all of her time caring about appearances. Clothes and hair products had never much appealed to her; she would make better use of her time in an old flightsuit with her hair pulled back in a messy pony tail while working with her dad on the _Falcon. _Which was why she could never see herself having a boyfriend like all of the other girls she knew. She was loud and dirty, and Jaina had kind of gotten the impression that the boys her age were a little afraid of her because they all thought she could kick their buts.Plus (at least in her mind) she wasn't pretty. Her mom was beautiful and poised and elegant, and her aunt Mara was tough and exotic, but Jaina wasn't anything special. Just a little tomboy that would soon be leaving to go train at her uncle Luke's Jedi Academy on Yavin 4.In fact, the only guy that Jaina was even really friends with other than her twin brother Jacen was Zekk. He was a pretty nice guy and Jaina liked spending time with him, but sometimes she got the feeling that he thought of her more like a little sister than an equal, because he was a couple of years older.Although the twins and Zekk had known each other for a couple of years, he still was a bit of a mystery to them. He could be kind of quiet, and he never talked about his past all that much. But Jacen and Jaina knew better than to push him; if he wanted to talk about it then he would.

But lately Jaina thought he had been acting extra weird. Whenever he was around her she would catch him staring at her, but then he would quickly turn away and blush. And last week when he had gone swimming with her and Jacen, he went completely red when she put her bathing suit on. Strange.But still, the idea of having a real boyfriend did sound at least a little bit appealing. And Zekk would make the perfect one for her. He was funny, adventurous, exciting, everything she could possibly ask for in a guy. If only he didn't see her as a little girl…

On the day before Jacen and Jaina's fourteenth birthday, the two were off exploring with Zekk. They were busy laughing and having a good old time, like always, when Jacen had to go and open his big mouth.

"I can't wait until tomorrow. Not only will Jaina and I be turning fourteen, but we'll also be leaving to finally go to the Jedi academy. It's going to be the best birthday ever!"

"Yeah," agreed Jaina half-heartedly. It wasn't that she wasn't excited about her birthday and going to the academy, it was just that it meant she would have to leave Zekk.

"Well, I'm really going to miss you two. It's going to be pretty boring around here without someone to get into trouble with."

"We're gonna miss you, too," Jaina said, trying not to start crying.

Turning around abruptly to face the others, Jacen said, "You should come to our party tomorrow. Our mom is hosting this thing for us, but I'm thinking it's going to end up being really boring. You could make it fun."

Considering his invitation for a moment, Zekk said, "Yeah, kid. I'll try to make it."

On the morning of the party, Jaina was all nervous. Today was the last time she would get to see Zekk for a while. She was a lot more upset by that fact than she was allowing herself to admit. Other than Jacen and Anakin, he was the one true friend she had ever had.As Jacen had predicted the day before, the party was dull. It wasn't that their mother hadn't tried, it's just that most of the people they knew were a little stuffy and bland. Plus, there were more adults there than kids.On the plus side though, Jacen and Jaina had received some great birthday gifts. Everything from a pet coralsnake for Jacen, to a new multitool for Jaina. But Zekk had still yet to arrive.After a few hours passed, Jaina was beginning to believe that he truly wasn't coming. It broke her heart to think that she would be leaving later that night without getting a chance to say goodbye. Tired of all of the party activities, Jaina stepped out onto the balcony of the Solo residence.While she was standing there, she allowed a few of her tears to fall. Maybe Zekk wasn't as good of a friend as she had always thought him to be. A few moments later, the door leading out to the balcony swung open.

Quickly brushing away her tears, Jaina said, "Go away, Jacen."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not Jacen."

Turning around, Jaina couldn't believe her eyes. Standing before her was Zekk! "I can't believe it. You came!"

Cracking a small grin, he said, "I told you I was going to, didn't I. Besides I couldn't let you two leave without telling you happy birthday and good-bye first."

"Well, I'm really glad you're here. I didn't want to leave without saying good-bye either."

Zekk walked over towards Jaina and leaned against the railing next to her. They stood there like that for a few moments, neither saying a word.

Attempting to break the silence, Zekk said, "So I saw all of those really great presents inside. You two must have struck gold this year!"

"Nah, I think our parents just don't want us to leave, so they were attempting to bribe us into staying."

"Did it work?"

"Not so far."

"Too bad. I'm really going to miss you, Jay."

"Yeah. Now you're just going to have to find a new little sister to run around with you."

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but I don't exactly think of you as my sister."

"You don't? Then what do you think of me as?"

"I don't really know. But your Jaina, and that seems to be enough for me."

"Oh," was all she said before turning around, trying to hide her pang ofdisappointment.

Once again trying to break the silence, Zekk said, "So, I wasn't able to get you and Jacen anything for your birthday-"

Turning back around quickly, Jaina interjected, "That's okay." She didn't want him to feel bad for not getting them anything.

"-so I thought maybe this would do." And with that he leaned down and gently brushed his lips across hers.

At that moment, for Jaina, the world stopped spinning. Her heart was racing and she was seeing fireworks. She couldn't believe what was happening. Zekk was _kissing_ her! And it wasn't even some little baby kiss either. It was a real, sweet, weak-in-the-knees kiss!

After a moment, the two both stepped back because of a desperate need for oxygen. Still unable to believe what had just happened, Jaina just stood there with a big dopey grin on her face.

That really amused Zekk. Wrapping her in a fierce hug, he whispered in her ear, "Happy birthday, kid."

And it was by far the best birthday ever!

**There you go. I hope it wasn't too bad and that everyone liked it ;)**


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